K-8 Health Care Career Exploration Resource Page

In-A-Box!The In-A-Box Curriculum series includes 5 self-contained boxes, geared for 4th through 8th graders (can be adapted for younger or older), covering the Eye, Ear, Brain, Guts, and Bones & Muscles. Boxes are available for loan to Interior Alaska educators (SEE MAP), and include lesson plans, station activities, models, and other resources designed to engage students in health and science.

Eye In-A-Box: Includes 5 hands on activities regarding the eye. One activity teaches students to view each others eyes for identification labeling using the eye model and ophthalmoscope. A Vision Testing activity teaches about the optic nerve connection to the brain and variations in vision. The “You are the Professional” activity has students assume the role of health professional and make decisions for patient care. The Braille Language activity has students unscramble words using the Braille alphabet. The Eye Disease activity has student use simulation goggles of different eye diseases and student will learn empathy, eye health and eye function.

Ear-In-A-Box Contains resources for five hands-on stations, plus multiple supplemental activities all about the ear and auditory system.The stations address Anatomy –giant size ear model, inner ear graphic and the otoscope to examine each others ears and label the anatomy of the ear on a template. There is an activity that seeks to help students understand and recognize sound levels that are too loud for ear health. Hearing loss activity –roll-up piano to teach the difference between pitch and volume to better understand partial hearing loss. The sound pathway –Students learn about energy transduction by putting sound travel in order from hearing to brain.

Brain-In-A-BoxBrain exploration–First students examine three different brains - two models and one animal brain. Then students learn hand signals that correspond to four key areas of their own brains, cerebral cortex, the cerebellum, the brain stem and the spinal cord, in order to remember those parts of the brain. Brain discoveries–Students read two true stories, one of Phineas Gage and one of H.M., to understand two accounts of how we have learned more about the brain and how medical advancement changes our understanding. Brain connections–Students construct a colorful "neuron" using pipe cleaners. Brain business–Students learn that different parts of the brain control memory, language, emotion, and attention. Brain growth–Students learn about dendrite growth from enriched environments by examining rat cage pictures and graphs of dendrite growth in the different environments.

Guts In-A-BoxAnatomy–Students learn the anatomy of the digestive system by guessing w hat’s in the “Bag o’ Guts”. They then label their own templates and try to identify the function of each part. Informed eaters–Students learn about nutrition by playing the pyramid game and taking a restaurant nutrition quiz. Careers–Students take the roles of health care professionals and decide how they would help the hypothetical patient using techniques commonly used by those professionals. Gut disorders–Students learn about digestive disorders, treatment techniques, and professionals who treat the disorders by examining the descriptions and pictures and trying to match them in sets. Malnutrition–Students learn about malnutrition, both over-nutrition and under-nutrition, by reading the map/chart, taking a nutrition quiz and evaluating their own nutritional deficiencies.

Anatomy–Students draw three types of muscle (skeletal, cardiac, and smooth) and the components inside of bone after examining graphics. Bone health–Students learn what bone density means; how exercise and gravity enhance bone density; and how professionals examine bone-density x-rays to evaluate a person’s bone health. Sports injury–Students play the sports-injury game show to learn what sports commonly lead to injuries. Bone and muscle disorders–memory game to learn about bone and muscle disorders, their treatment, and the professionals who treat them. Muscle geography–Students learn several muscles of the body, making movements, and locating the list of muscles on a poster